Ambassador Haley: Iran is ‘Arsonist’ in Middle East

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A new UN report on Iran highlights “violation after violation of weapons transfers and ballistic missile activity” by the country, Haley said, as “the Iranian regime’s behavior is growing worse.”

A recent United Nations (UN) report shows that Iran is an “arsonist” in the region, the US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said at a press conference on Thursday.

Haley described a recently-released report from the UN Secretary General detailing Iran’s compliance “or noncompliance” with UN Security Council resolution 2231, which implements the nuclear deal. The report details “violation after violation of weapons transfers and ballistic missile activity” by Iran.

The report showed that while Iran was complying with the nuclear deal, it was defying UN resolutions on its illicit ballistic missile program.

“The United States and our partners went to great lengths to support the UN investigations into Iranian violations by declassifying evidence so that the world could better be informed of the extent of Iran’s malign activities.” Haley stated, speaking of a warehouse full of recovered weapons from Iranian attacks.

Haley pointed to the remains of a missile that had been “used to attack an international civilian airport in a G-20 country,” referring to last months attempted attack on Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Findings demonstrate that the projectile was Iranian-made.

She explained that the missile had no stabilizer fins but had nine valves, which are “are essentially Iranian missile fingerprints.”

“Just imagine if this missile had been launched at Dulles Airport or JFK, or the airports in Paris, London, or Berlin,” Haley said, adding, “That’s what we’re talking about here. That’s what Iran is actively supporting.”

‘Dangers Emanating from Iran are Unacceptable’

Haley spoke of other weapons that had been recovered and called on the international community to “join us in a united front resisting this global threat.”

Haley said the US is “also taking a hard look at Iran’s ballistic missile program, its arms exports, and its support for terrorists, proxy fighters, and dictators.” She said the US was doing so because since the nuclear deal the “Iranian regime’s behavior is growing worse.”

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon stated that Haley’s revelations “proved yet again that Iran’s dangerous presence in the Middle East is only growing despite their attempts to deceive the world.”

“The threat of Iranian missiles stretches from the Persian Gulf, through Yemen, Syria and all the way to Lebanon and Gaza. The dangers emanating from Iran are unacceptable and it is imperative that the United Nations and the international community act immediately to ensure an end to these threats,” he demanded.